Tempeh Thanksgiving Dinner (Recipe)

If Germany celebrated Thanksgiving, this is what they’d have to eat. Delicious tempeh stew seasoned with warm fall spices over a bed of roasted sweet potato slices. This is a hearty fall dish with stick–to–your- ribs goodness. It can also be made ahead and reheats well. If you do that, add a tablespoon or two of broth if it seems too dry. Besides the apples, the main part of this recipe is a one pot meal. Great for that busy time of year!

Thanksgiving German Tempeh Dinner
Serves 3- 4

1 8 oz package tempeh, steamed (optional) and cut in cubes

Marinade-
½ cup apple cider
1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice from ½ a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp caraway
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Stew-
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup red onion, diced small
½ cup red pepper, diced small
¼ cup celery, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp caraway
1 tsp allspice
½ cup apple cider
pinch of grated nutmeg
2 cups sauerkraut

1 tart apple, cut in slices
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Make marinade and let tempeh marinate 1 hour or longer. To make stew, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in heavy bottomed soup pot. Take tempeh out of marinade (keep the marinade) and cook until lightly browned. Add red onion, celery and peppers and cook until onions start to look translucent. Add garlic and spices, let cook a couple of minutes. Deglaze pan with the apple cider. Squeeze some of the water out of the sauerkraut and stir it into the pot. Add the marinade and let simmer 15- 20 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Prepare the apples as described below, then add them to the stew mix.

For the apples, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in small frying pan over medium high heat. Lightly brown slices. When browned, remove from heat and add cinnamon. Chop them a little bit with your spatula, but don’t break them up completely. Add to the stew and stir in. The idea behind doing the apples later is so that they don’t turn to mush. Instead you get nice little chunks of apples.

Adjust seasonings and serve. We have it over Roasted Sweet Potato Slices. Peel 3 potatoes and cut in 1/8 inch rounds. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, ½ tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp cayenne. Roast at 400 degrees 20-30 minutes, stirring once in a while. Don’t let them overcook or they’ll get too mushy.

Being a sauerkraut lover, I want to mention that the refrigerated section of the grocery store usually has really good quality sauerkraut in a bag. It’s definitely better than canned or jarred.

One more note- I like to use Sam Smith’s Apple Cider. It’s really bright in this. Regular cider works great, too.

Tonight’s dinner: Spinach Lasagna

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